This disclosure relates to seals for preventing drafts and the like at door bottoms, window bottoms and other similar places for a moving structural element can be opened and closed within an aperture. More particularly, this disclosure relates to an extruded one-piece seal adapted for easy application to a door bottom or window bottom to prevent drafts and water intrusion at the door bottom or window bottom.
Entry doors in residences, businesses and other structures often consist of a rectangular door which is hinged upon one side and open more by swinging laterally upon the hinge. Doors frequently are mounted in door frames consisting of two parallel upright sides and a top interconnecting the tops of the sides. A threshold is sometimes placed at the bottom of the door frame. Many doors are sold pre-assembled to a door frame for installation in a wall as a unit. For interior doors this completes the structure. For exterior doors, a threshold is often added and a sealing mechanism is sometimes added between the door bottom and the threshold. Particularly, for doors opening to the open “outdoors” are sometimes the source of drafts, water intrusion or insect intrusion. To remedy these situations, numerous attempts to provide reliable, economical seals at the interface between the bottom of the door and the threshold have been made. However, proper sealing can be difficult for a number of reasons.
Many homes and businesses have carpeting. A door is sometimes trimmed along its bottom so the door can swing over the carpeting. This sometimes takes the bottom of the door out of proper engagement with the threshold or other device forming the bottom of the doorway.
People walk through doorways and step on thresholds. Thresholds are often worn or deformed by constant foot traffic. People also often carry or roll heavy loads through doorways which can damage, wear or destroy a threshold. Thus, the interface between the bottom of the door and the threshold often include an opening of varying height. The threshold surface and the door surface is also of varying quality across the length and thickness of the door bottom and the length and width of the threshold.
Many homes are rental units. Some renters are prohibited from using fasteners on doors and walls other home owners and home occupants are not particularly handy with tools.